A/N: All right, welcome to chapter three! For those of you who are tired of reading all the non-fighting stuff, and ready for some action, sorry for making you wait so long! As usual, much thanks to i-wish-a7x, Dea Letum, and LittlePidgey! Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ, Nintendo does. I do own my plot, made-up weapons, items, etc., and any OCs that may appear, as well as my made-up boss monsters, the first of which will most likely appear in the next chapter. Anyway... Enjoy!

Weapons (other than their swords and shields, of course!)

-Red has an ice rod, a fire rod, and a slingshot!

-Green has a boomerang, and he's pretty good with it.

-Blue has a hammer, of course, which suits his personality perfectly!

-Vio has a bow & arrows, and of course, his ever-present book.

-Shadow has... well, his weird shadow abilities, I guess? mimicking? He also has the Dark Mirror Shield now.

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Chapter 3: A New Foe?

"(???) Hihihi... I've found you! The boy who has what I need! But how to take it from you without arousing any suspicion, hmm? I can't risk being found out... Not now."

Someone is watching Shadow make his way across Hyrule Field towards Death Mountain in a crystal ball...

"(???) Ah, so the purple Hero is the one this boy is after. Hihihi, that one used to be my favorite on account of his good fashion sense, but he still takes a close second. I do want to help him, so I guess I'll have to take the backstabbing route to avoid suspicion..."

~Meanwhile, in Hyrule Field...~

"(Shadow) I hate Octoroks... Really, REALLY hate them..."

'Oh well... At least I gathered some Force in my sword from beating them... And I'm only a few hours walk away from the entrance to Death Mountain, too.'

Shadow has set up a little camp in a small grove of trees in Hyrule Field. He already has a small fire going, and had a pretty easy time getting some wood. He looks pretty tired, and has a few bruises and scrapes, but nothing anywhere near being serious. The sun has begun to set...

'I'll spend the night here, and get some rest. Climbing Death Mountain can wait until morning. I know better than to try scaling it in the dark, though I do have good night vision since I'm a shadow... Or at least was... Anyway, it's called Death Mountain for a reason, so I'd better be careful.'

Shadow checks his surroundings one last time, then settles down to rest...

~The next morning...~

"(Shadow) I hate those stupid rock-spitters... I hate them soooooo much..."

Shadow is looking at his reflection in a small stream, holding his dusky purple bangs away from his forehead and wincing slightly. An embarrassingly obvious bruise from an Octorok's attack in the middle of his forehead is slowly turning an ugly greenish-purplish color. It looks painful. Obviously, Shadow got woken up this morning by an Octorok. The annoyed-looking boy lets his bangs fall back over his forehead, hiding the bruise from sight. He sighs and rubs his aching head, then straightens up and continues towards Death Mountain, where he hopes to find Vio.

~A few hours later...~

Shadow is nearly at the base of Death Mountain, which looms ominously ahead of him, dominating the horizon. The terrain has gone from the lush river-filled grasslands of Hyrule Field to the rocky, treeless tundra with sparse vegetation of Death Mountain's foothills. Judging by the various small bruises on his arms and legs, and the fact that he has opted to keep his shield out and ready rather than leaving it strapped to his back, Shadow ran into some more Octoroks on his way here...

'A year may have passed, but it looks almost as if nothing has changed at all... Except for that huge cavern entrance way up there, that I also saw in that weird vision... That thing is completely new, which makes it more than a little suspicious... Especially since it's so big!'

"(Shadow) *sigh...* I'd beter get started... I can't afford to waste any daylight, not in this place."

Shadow straps his shield securely to his back and checks the fastening of his scabbard as well as making sure his sword is easy to unsheathe, but won't fall out. He then begins to make his way up the active volcano that is Death Mountain, only stopping for rest in places he knows have firm footing. By the time Shadow reaches the cave mouth, it is late afternoon, and he looks pretty tired from the rough and dangerous climb.

'Why did I ever like living here again? Oh yeah, I didn't actually have to climb this godesses-damned deathtrap back then, that's why... Ugh, all those bottomless pits and rivers of molten lava really make for a depressing mood... But, I can't let myself get discouraged now! The Triforce must've led me here for a reason, after all. Either I'll finde Vio in this cave, or something that will help lead me to him... I hope...'

As Shadow approaches the entrance of the cavern a voice echoes from the shadows just inside it.

"(???) Hihihi... So you are the infamous "Hero's Shadow," hmm? To tell you the truth, you aren't exactly what I expected you to be. I mean, look at you! You're just a puny little boy!"

"(Shadow) Who are you and what do you want?! Show yourself!"

"(???) Hihihi... Don't be so angry. I'm not here to fight you. At least not yet, anyway. At this point, it would be a waste of time, and quite boring, too. No, I'm here for a different reason."

'I really don't like this guy. His oh-so-superior attitude seriously gets on my nerves!'

"(Shadow) Grrr... Don't toy with me! I'm stronger than you think!"

"(???) Hihihi, how funny! Then why are you having so much trouble with mere Octoroks, then, "Hero's Shadow?" They're the weakest of the weak! And yet, you're covered with bruises from their attacks! *keeps laughing at Shadow*"

'This jerk! He's laughing at me now! ...I have to calm down... He may know something. Stay calm...'

"(Shadow) Either get to the point, or go away. Surely you aren't just here to taunt me?"

"(???) Hihihi, you're very focused, I see! No, I do have a purpose in meeting you here. You see, you just so happen to have something I need, and I'm more than willing to trade for it. You're looking for the Hero with the good fashion sense, Vio, correct? I'll tell you what you need to know, but only if you give me one fourth of the center shard of the Triforce of Courage."

'The center triangle... I sense a faint trace of Wind magic coming from it. It's the right one, it must be!'

"(Shadow) ...!"

Shadow has his sword and shield out and ready in the blink of an eye, looking ready to attack or defend himself at a moment's notice. He seems to be thinking about something, because he blushes slightly for a moment, then shakes his head and continues glaring in the direction the mysterious stranger's voice is coming from.

'This bastard! ...Wait. Why does he want the center shard, and only part of it? Hang on, maybe each one belongs to a certain one of us...? This silver one is most likely mine, and the one that turned purple before must be Vio's... Wait, are those two next to each other because I... l-like... Vio...? (A/N: this is when he blushes, obviously!) But, whose could the middle one be? Red's, Blue's, or Green's?'

"(???) All in due time, "Hero's Shadow." I'd hate to spoil the surprise, after all. And the Triforce itself holds no interest for me, so there's no need for you to get all defensive about it. After all, if it does come to a fight, your little sword and shield will do you no good! Hihihi!"

Shadow grumbles something about infuriating superiority complexes, distracted for a moment, then focuses again.

"(Shadow) ...Wait, then if the Triforce isn't your goal, then you must be after one of us five! Who are you aft-- Mmph!!"

The figure shoots out of the darkness and is instantly covering Shadow's mouth with a pale purple-skinned hand, a wicked-looking dagger held against the boy's neck with the other. Shadow freezes in shock, his arms limp at his sides and his eyes wide disks. The mysterious person whispers something in Shadow's ear, then retreats back out of sight, causing the still partially stunned Shadow to stumble backwards a bit.

"(???) You couldn't possibly understand my reasons now, and I doubt you ever will, "Hero's Shadow." The Hero I seek to help wears a tunic in the color of the lush fields of Hyrule, and if you ever wish to see him again, I suggest you accept my offer. I will wait until you return from this cavern for your answer; or rather, until you have found the one you seek..."

"(Shadow) Let me guess, if I refuse, you'll just take it from me by force, right?"

'I'm tempted to refuse right here just so I can kick him into next year, but judging by how fast he moved, I get the feeling I won't win... The fact that I'm worn out from a long day's travelling doesn't help much, either. I guess I'd better humor him for now...'

"(???) ..."

'Refuse? Once you know the truth, you won't want to. That's what I'm counting on, after all... It's too bad I'll have to double-cross you a bit once you've rescued Vio and given me what I need, but I have to in order to avoid blowing my cover. I'm stretching things pretty thin as is, after all. I guess I'll just "accidentally" use something that will unlock your inner powers once you return to normal, and make sure things don't get too out of hand... If I don't play the bad guy well enough, and I'm found out, I'm dead. And I can't let that happen, at least not until I've helped him...'

The mysterious person falls silent for a few moments, then begins to speak again, this time completely serious and with no sign of the previous teasing, taunts, and such.

"(???) The person you're looking for is deep within this cave system. There is also a strong monster lying in wait. Be careful, for appearances can deceive at the most unexpected of times... Goodbye for now, "Hero's Shadow.""

The figure disappears in a small swirl of wind...

'I really... really... HATE this guy!!!'

"(Shadow) Aaaargh!!!"

Shadow slashes at a few unlucky weeds, letting off some steam. He then proceeds into the cavern...

~Meanwhile...~

In the Sacred Realm, a familiar imposing figure is simply hanging out, minding his own business for once. His flaming red hair and dark skin mark him as a Gerudo, and he bears the Triforce symbol on his hand. Yes, this is the one and only Ganondorf himself! He appears to be taking a nap... Suddenly, the Triforce marking on his hand glows, waking him. He stares blankly at his hand, seeing that the Triforce of Courage has split into five pieces. He has the "WTF?!!" look on his face...

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A/N: Okay, whoever guesses who ??? is gets a cookie! (well, not a real one, but whatever... ^_^; ) And yes, the big baddie this time around is NOT Ganondorf for once! He really is just chilling out in the Sacred Realm this time! Tee hee, I bet no one saw that coming, huh? Well, I hope you enjoyed, and please review? PLEEEEAAAASE??? I wish more people would read this... ^_^; well, anyways, see ya!